Xbox dead... Again.

Holly finished watching a movie on the xbox and we went to the grocery store for some supplies. When we got back we thought a game of scene it sounded fun. So I walk over and turn on the xbox, turn and walk back to the couch and when I sit down I see an error screen and one red ring. Crap. Only one isn't covered by the 3 year extension MS has on the warranty and I just got it back from being repaired 2 weeks ago from the 3rd party warranty we got from the NEX. Because of that I can't make a claim on my extra warranty. So we got a pro system from the air force BX. 60 GB HD and 4 games. Well it was supposed to have 3 but we got 2 blue dragons in the box. So we were a little lucky. I'm not sure what to do with the second copy, maybe I can return it for store credit at gamestop or something.

Out again

Well, there it went. No more power. Aleric noticed immediately and started whining and pointing at the fan which had stopped moving. I just took a cold shower which was nice. More later, hopefully when we get power back again.

Power's back!

15 hours without power. It wasn't too bad and we spent most of the time at a friends house. We were all laying in bed and I heard beeping downstairs and the fan kicked on. It's nice to have it back but I liked the silence and the lack of electronic distractions. I just wish food would stay good without it. Then we wouldn't need it. It was crazy to see how as soon as the power was gone, people came together and hung out outside talking and playing board games by candle light. It made me wonder if we wouldn't be better off without it.

Power outage

According to the radio, there was a hurricane somewhere close enough that it wiped out our power to the whole island! Not sure how long it's going to be out but we made the best of it by going to our friends house and sitting in the candlelight talking.

Annual Christmas Letter

Every year around Christmas I write a letter sort of recapping the events of the year. This time was a little tough since I already keep people up to date on what goes on via the blogs and anything I put in the letter will already be old news by the time they read it. However, I like writing the letter so I did it anyways. We are sending them out to everyone but, just in case we managed to forget someone who cares in our haste to get them out before Christmas I am posting the letter here on my blog as well. Most of this will be nothing new if you follow our blogs but if not it's a sort of highlight on the most important parts of the year. Expect to read mostly about the kids. If you don't end up getting one in the mail and you want one, just leave a response on this post and I'll make sure one gets sent out to you. They include a bonus Christmas card with a really cute picture of the kids, perfect for fridges and cubicle walls. :)

Dear family and friends,
This year has been surprisingly full of changes, much like last year. I say surprising because we were expecting life to start settling down, to become less turbulent. Luckily for us, we were wrong. Let me start by updating everyone about the most important change this year. We are now a happy family of four. On October 12th Auria Elise Glenn entered into this world at an astonishing 9lbs 14.5oz. At the time that I am writing this letter she is already two months old and absolutely adorable. Aleric is taking to the role of protective big brother like a duck to water. From the first time he saw her it was obvious that he was in love with his little baby sister. We can only pray that that sentiment persists as they grow older. He is now nearly 2 years old and although his vocabulary is limited to hello, bye bye, awie (auria), bubba (baby) and the occasional perfectly formed sentence (more on that in a second) his comprehension is amazing. We are now aware that he understands just about every word we say so we have to watch our mouths around him. It really comes in handy when you need something from the other room but your hands are full with laundry or a dirty diaper or something. Just ask him to run into the other room and off he goes happily retrieving whatever it is you asked for. He also now throws his cups and plates in the sink by himself and put his toys away when he’s done with them. This is all due to Holly’s influence I assure you. She tells me that he is a faster study than I am too, since she is still trying to get me to pick up my toys when I am done. When I mentioned the fully formed sentences I was talking about the time he asked me “Can I blow bubbles?” and “How do you do it?” in reference to the task of opening an empty spice container. This tells us that he can talk, just that he doesn’t want to. Holly is still taking care of our friends little girl Isabella who has become Aleric’s best friend. It’s the cutest thing to see how excited they get when they see each other each morning. Recently we met some neighbors at the park whose son is named Lyric, which is just close enough to Aleric that we were all confused when we heard our children’s names being called out. Seeing the two boys interact has been a lot of fun and has also made obvious how much having Isabella around has taught Aleric about sharing and patience. I just recently learned that patience pays off even when it comes to one’s career. I have now made it to the rank of Petty Officer 2nd Class (E-5). I love my job and I have a wonderful lack of oversight in what I chose to do with my days. I think this is due to the fact that what I love to do and what I am supposed to be doing align so nicely. At this point, I am almost certain that I will be making a career out of the Navy despite the higher salaries available in the civilian work force. I would love to be able to tell everyone about exciting travels or amazing achievements this year but to be honest with you all, it couldn’t have been better due to the arrival of our new baby girl Auria and being able to watch Aleric grow up. It’s wonderful to be able to see the wonder in his eyes as he explores this world that we as adults often take for granted. That old saying of “Stop and smell the roses” forgets to remind one to look at the ants and feel the grass between your toes and smell the wet dirt after a tropical storm or to be transfixed by a flock of birds swooping in unison from point to point in a field. These are the true wonders of parenthood and of being alive. We wish you all a merry Christmas and a fulfilling and joyous new year.

The Glenns,
Jeff, Holly, Aleric and Auria

Our poor truck

Remember back when I navigated an F150 into my blind spot? Well holly just did something similar. She navigated a garage wall into hers. And hers was in the front of the car. Here are some pics of the aftermath.

A strange smell to a homeopathic remedy

So when Holly had to stop breast feeding, her body did not immediately agree with her. Apparently putting cold red cabbage in her bra has helped tremendously with the associated pain. Strange and slightly smelly, but effective.

Room with a view

Hospital rooms aren't normally known for their nice views, but my daughter's room has one of the best on the island. I thought I'd share with everyone. You can also get a glimpse of the second round of clouds from that storm I just mentioned in my last post.

One more thing

Yesterday was my final for the class I'm in right now. It went well and I feel confident about it. We were given 6 hours to finish and it took me 2, so I got to go home early and hang out with my family. I'd been home about an hour when Holly gets a call from the hospital saying they want to admit Auria for "Failure to thrive". Not a really happy term is it. Holly headed right up and I took Aleric over to Megan's house to hang out while we figured out what to do. Auria is doing well, check her blog for some cute hospital pictures. She's gaining weight and the doctors haven't yet decided if they want to run some tests on kidney and liver function yet. So I thought I was going to have to take leave but lucky for me, a HUGE storm rolled in and they told me not to worry about it. So I get a four day with no leave.

A messed up day

So, just to keep me humble, God has taught me a quick, stressful though relatively painless lesson. Today was supposed to be my frocking ceremony. Holly had an appointment so I took the prelude, which I know has expired tags, to work. This was a big mistake. I got turned around at the gate, had to park like 3 miles away and subsequently beg Megan to come save me. She did but it was all too late. I missed my ceremony and now have to wait until a makeup ceremony until I can wear my new rank. Sad, stress inducing but as I have to keep reminding myself, not the end of the world. Not even close really. I'm just a little more stressed than normal due to the dlpt today, which is a very important test as it decides about a quarter of my paycheck. So i'm sitting here waiting for the test and trying to relax by venting on the net. Let's hope it works.

My awesome wife

Ok, so i'm not sure how single guys even get by. I'm having my frocking ceremony tomorrow and I've been so busy this weekend that I didn't think about it until like 30 minutes ago. At that time, I discovered that my special white hat has gone mia. So holly racks her brain and manages to find one for me at our friend's house and ran out to get it. Keep in mind that now is 1am. It's a good thing my friends stay up so late. Oh yeah, and tomorrow is my dlpt too, so i'm a little keyed up right now and exhausted to boot. Ok, gotta get some sleep.